for now, the obama administration is backing up its public warnings by sending private messages to assad through one of his few remaining allies, russia. >> pelley: david, thank you. the assad dictatorship has ruled syria for more than 40 years. the syrian people rebelled last year and it's been open warfare ever since. it's extremely hazardous for reporters to get into the war zone, but elizabeth palmer managed to reach a neighborhood under siege on the outskirts of the capital city, damascus. >> reporter: it's 6:00 p.m. the heavy shelling doesn't usually start until 9:00, so it's safe to go for a tour of this wrecked and virtually deserted neighborhood. this was one of the first neighborhoods to rise up against president bashar al-assad and for almost two years it's been punished. now 80% of the residents have been driven out. our guide was 21-year-old sara. the few people who remain here are too poor to leave or, like sara, too committed to the anti- regime fight. you're among the 20% who stayed. why? better to live here and die with dignity than go to a refugee camp? >> yes, die and